Recommendation of approval of 2017 Water Supply Facilities
Work Plan (WSFWP) Update to comply with Section 163.3177 (6) (c), F.S. which requires local governments to adopt
a 10-year WSFWP within 18 months after the approval of the SWFWMD Regional Water
Supply Plan (RWSP).

Enabling/Regulating AuthoritySection
163.3177 (6) (c), F.S.
which requires local governments to adopt a 10-year WSFWP within 18 months after
the approval of the SWFWMD Regional Water Supply Plan. The latest Regional Water
Supply Plan was approved in November 2015, making the deadline to meet this
requirement May 2017

Background Discussion

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)
updates the Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP) approximately every 5 years. It
contains of an assessment of projected water demands and potential sources to
meet those demands for a 20-year planning period. Florida Statutes require
local governments to notify SWFWMD as to which water supply options identified in
the RWSP they intend to develop, and to adopt a 10-year Water Supply Facilities
Work Plan to accomplish water supply development to meet projected need for
that local jurisdiction.

Manatee County BoCC adopted a 10-year WSFWP in May 2008
following the SWFWMD RWSP approval in December 2006. Potable water demand in
2006 was approximately 45.5 million gallons per day (mgd) with a projected
demand (20-yr) of 61.9 mgd in 2030. The 2008 WSFWP identified and prioritized
the water supply facilities and sources to meet those needs. They included new
supplies beyond exisitng capacity in 2014.

As the 2008 WSFWP was being adopted, the housing market
crashed and the “Great Recession” was taking hold. Water demands fell to levels
commensurate with the late 1990s (approximately 37 mgd), and projected future
water demands decreased significantly such that an update to the WSFWP, delaying
the need for new supply development, was approved by the BoCC in January 2009.

In September 2012,
the BoCC adopted the 2012 WSFWP Update based on projections which showed an expected
demand of 53.6 mgd in 2035. Existing capacity was 52.8 mgd, and though no new
capacity was needed in the 10-year period (thru 2022), additional capacity of
3.0 mgd at the Buffalo Creek location was planned in 2022 to increase
reliability, provide north county redundancy, diversify sources and meet 20-yr
demands. The 2012 WSFWP also included reinvestment in, enhancement of and replacement
of facilities within the potable and reclaimed water systems to meet future
demands and to maintain concurrency with level of service requirements, and was
synchronized with the %-year Capital Improvement Program.

Demand projections based on the latest
population projections (January 2017) show an expected 2027 demand of 45.35 mgd
and an expected 2037 demand of 53.25 mgd. In 2016, 3.1 mgd additional
groundwater withdrawal as conjunctive use was granted to the East County
Wellfield by SWFWMD using the ‘net benefit’ process of retiring other
groundwater withdrawals and providing reclaimed water instead. A special
condition of the consumptive use permit allows that quantity to be converted to
additional supply when demands show the need. We have shown that conversion to
occur in 2022, the 10-yr milestone of our 20-yr consolidated permit, which will
make total available capacity to be 55.95 mgd. This allows Manatee County to
delay the $35M investment in a brackish water RO facility at Buffalo Creek to
later years and instead get greater use of existing assets. The 2017 WSFWP
continues to include the reinvestment in infrastructure seen in the 2012 WSFWP
and remains synchronized with the 5-year CIP.

With the adoption of this WSFWP, specified dates in the Comp Plan will need to be updated to reflect this current 2017 WSFWP.